I know, I know. I left you guys hanging yesterday. We were in Ocean City, Maryland, eating crabs and playing skee-ball, and we didn't get home until after midnight. Even today I am tired and bloated from all the fun I had and the salt I consumed yesterday.
One of the simplest appetizers of all time is just a block of goat cheese or cream cheese with some kind of chutney or jam poured over it, served with a basket of crackers. Any kind of jam is good, especially raspberry, but my favorite is a savory onion chutney flavored with chiles and garlic. It's the kind of thing you find in a specialty food store, and even then it's not easy to find, so I was thrilled to find this recipe for an onion jam.
This is easy and flexible and meant to be played with. Use great ingredients, taste it as you go to measure the need for seasoning, and give it lots of time to turn sweet. Besides the appetizer I mentioned above, try it with grilled tuna, or with sauteed greens like kale or escarole.
Slow and Easy Savory Onion Jam
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 to 6 medium red onions, thinly sliced
10 large shallots, thinly sliced
8 to 10 big cloves garlic (not Elephant type), thinly sliced
salt and generous freshly ground black pepper
shredded zest of 2 large oranges (optional)
1/4 cup currants or raisins (optional)
1 small fresh tomato, peeled, or a canned tomato
1/4 to 1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
Heat oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium high. Add onions, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper, tossing to combine. Once they begin sizzling, turn heat to medium low, cover pan and cook 30 minutes, adding zest and raisins half way through cooking. Once onions become soft and clear, uncover, raising heat to medium high.
Brown the onions. Stir often, scraping up the brown glaze on the bottom of the pan. You may need a little water as they approach being done. Once deep gold, stir in tomato and 1/4 cup vinegar, cooking it down to nothing.
Taste for a soft sweet-tart balance. If necessary, cook in a little sugar, or more vinegar. Tomato should meld into the onions, while the vinegar cooks down to an appealing backdrop, not a sharp accent. Cool quickly and pack in jars. Keep cold, but serve close to room temperature.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
April 20: Chinese Glazed Spareribs
It is perfectly lovely to be back in the ample and disorganized bosom of my family after an equally-lovely weekend with The Cutest Little Pregnant Woman On Earth and her hilariously doting husband. I am endlessly amused by his obsessive need to register for every single baby first aid and safety thing on this earth, like every first-time father I've ever met. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we did the same thing, never used anything in those kits even once, and have now lost pretty much every single object in all of them, except the rubber bulb nose-sucker, which Max uses in the bathtub.
We ate some delicious food at the baby shower as well, including four kinds of cheese that The Cutest Little Pregnant Woman On Earth claims that none of her relatives have heard of, let alone tasted. She claimed that pre-cubed cheddar-jack cheese would have been more than sufficient; I claimed that I had a reputation to uphold and bought a bunch of stuff that I didn't think of as particularly exotic, like smoked gouda and roasted garlic cheddar. That cheddar, by the way, was so stinking delicious, I almost wish that T.C.L.P.W.O.E. had been serious about putting cheese in my suitcase. Not only did I broaden a bunch of Kentuckians' food horizons, I had mine broadened by T.C.L.P.W.O.E.'s mother-in-law, who makes this perfectly insane dessert called pave, pronounced pahv-AY, which is apparently graham crackers dipped in milk, some other stuff, and the key to everything: two cans of sweetened condensed milk, boiled for two hours--what I mean is, you boil the actual cans, with the milk still in them, and they turn into this incredibly rich, delicious caramel that would have been a fairly amazing ice cream topping, or drizzled over a poached pear or a baked apple...oh baby.
And now I am home, with my boys, who I've missed so much this weekend. Boy did it feel great to have Max jump into my arms in the airport, especially after sitting next to a girl who I am not certain wasn't completely strung out on drugs, whose panic attack started before we even pulled away from the gate and never really stopped until I flagged down a flight attendant, brought the puking, sobbing, hyperventilating girl to her attention, and offered to trade seats with, well, pretty much anybody on earth at that point, but her boyfriend specifically, who was a couple rows behind us, wearing a t-shirt that said "bang this" on the front of it, fast asleep, and totally unaware until that point that his poopsie was moments away from totally dissolving into acute hysteria. I'm sure that flying Southwest is fine for normal people, but as I am a certified freak-magnet, I don't think it was the best choice for me.
I am not a huge fan of Chinese food, especially restaurant Chinese food, as you probably have heard me say before. I love some of the better flavors in Asian food, though: Thai basil, lemongrass, ginger, soy, five spice, Szechuan peppercorns, Thai bird chiles.
One of the things that I think could be so good is those spareribs from Chinese restaurants. Talk about great potential--sticky, chewy, flavorful, sweet, spicy, moist, and tender. Really, though, way too often, they're just insipid.
Almost everything is better at home than it is in a restaurant. You've got control over what goes in; which changes the tenor of a dish from being, you know, whatever shows up at your table to something that's really yours.
I am really kind of looking forward to trying this, although, yet again, it's from Cook's Country. If I'm going to keep complaining about Cook's Country, I'm really going to have to stop liking their food so much.
Glazed Chinese Spareribs
2 racks pork ribs (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds each), preferably St. Louis cut or baby back ribs
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 (6-inch) piece ginger , peeled and sliced into rounds
6 garlic cloves, smashed
strips of orange peel from 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
30 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves, stems chopped coarse (reserve leaves for glaze)
8 scallions , white parts cut into 1-inch pieces (reserve green parts for garnish)
Glaze
1 (10-ounce) jar hot red pepper jelly
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Minced scallion greens greens
1. For the ribs: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. With tip of paring knife, loosen membrane on underside of each rack of ribs. Grab membrane with paper towel and pull it off slowly in single piece. Combine remaining ingredients in large roasting pan. Add spareribs to pan, turning to coat both sides, and arrange meaty side down. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook until just tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer ribs to large plate.
2. For the glaze: Strain 3 cups cooking liquid from roasting pan into large nonstick skillet (do not wash roasting pan) and discard solids and remaining liquid. Using wide spoon, skim fat from liquid. Stir in jelly and vinegar. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until syrupy and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and cayenne.
3. Heat broiler (do not raise oven rack). Pour enough water into roasting pan to cover bottom and fit pan with flat roasting rack. Reserve 1/2 cup glaze for serving. Arrange ribs on rack meaty side down and brush with glaze. Place roasting pan back on middle rack in oven and broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip ribs over, brush with more glaze, then broil, brushing ribs with glaze every 2 to 4 minutes, until ribs are deep mahogany color, 9 to 12 minutes (watch broiler carefully). Transfer ribs to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice between bones, transfer ribs to platter, and brush with reserved glaze. Sprinkle with scallions.
Serve.
Make Ahead: The ribs and glaze can be prepared through step 2 up to 2 days in advance. Wrap the ribs tightly in foil and refrigerate. Transfer glaze to microwave-safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, allow ribs to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat glaze in microwave on high power until warm, about 1 minute. Proceed with step 3 as directed.
We ate some delicious food at the baby shower as well, including four kinds of cheese that The Cutest Little Pregnant Woman On Earth claims that none of her relatives have heard of, let alone tasted. She claimed that pre-cubed cheddar-jack cheese would have been more than sufficient; I claimed that I had a reputation to uphold and bought a bunch of stuff that I didn't think of as particularly exotic, like smoked gouda and roasted garlic cheddar. That cheddar, by the way, was so stinking delicious, I almost wish that T.C.L.P.W.O.E. had been serious about putting cheese in my suitcase. Not only did I broaden a bunch of Kentuckians' food horizons, I had mine broadened by T.C.L.P.W.O.E.'s mother-in-law, who makes this perfectly insane dessert called pave, pronounced pahv-AY, which is apparently graham crackers dipped in milk, some other stuff, and the key to everything: two cans of sweetened condensed milk, boiled for two hours--what I mean is, you boil the actual cans, with the milk still in them, and they turn into this incredibly rich, delicious caramel that would have been a fairly amazing ice cream topping, or drizzled over a poached pear or a baked apple...oh baby.
And now I am home, with my boys, who I've missed so much this weekend. Boy did it feel great to have Max jump into my arms in the airport, especially after sitting next to a girl who I am not certain wasn't completely strung out on drugs, whose panic attack started before we even pulled away from the gate and never really stopped until I flagged down a flight attendant, brought the puking, sobbing, hyperventilating girl to her attention, and offered to trade seats with, well, pretty much anybody on earth at that point, but her boyfriend specifically, who was a couple rows behind us, wearing a t-shirt that said "bang this" on the front of it, fast asleep, and totally unaware until that point that his poopsie was moments away from totally dissolving into acute hysteria. I'm sure that flying Southwest is fine for normal people, but as I am a certified freak-magnet, I don't think it was the best choice for me.
I am not a huge fan of Chinese food, especially restaurant Chinese food, as you probably have heard me say before. I love some of the better flavors in Asian food, though: Thai basil, lemongrass, ginger, soy, five spice, Szechuan peppercorns, Thai bird chiles.
One of the things that I think could be so good is those spareribs from Chinese restaurants. Talk about great potential--sticky, chewy, flavorful, sweet, spicy, moist, and tender. Really, though, way too often, they're just insipid.
Almost everything is better at home than it is in a restaurant. You've got control over what goes in; which changes the tenor of a dish from being, you know, whatever shows up at your table to something that's really yours.
I am really kind of looking forward to trying this, although, yet again, it's from Cook's Country. If I'm going to keep complaining about Cook's Country, I'm really going to have to stop liking their food so much.
Glazed Chinese Spareribs
2 racks pork ribs (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds each), preferably St. Louis cut or baby back ribs
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 (6-inch) piece ginger , peeled and sliced into rounds
6 garlic cloves, smashed
strips of orange peel from 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
30 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves, stems chopped coarse (reserve leaves for glaze)
8 scallions , white parts cut into 1-inch pieces (reserve green parts for garnish)
Glaze
1 (10-ounce) jar hot red pepper jelly
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Minced scallion greens greens
1. For the ribs: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. With tip of paring knife, loosen membrane on underside of each rack of ribs. Grab membrane with paper towel and pull it off slowly in single piece. Combine remaining ingredients in large roasting pan. Add spareribs to pan, turning to coat both sides, and arrange meaty side down. Cover pan tightly with foil and cook until just tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer ribs to large plate.
2. For the glaze: Strain 3 cups cooking liquid from roasting pan into large nonstick skillet (do not wash roasting pan) and discard solids and remaining liquid. Using wide spoon, skim fat from liquid. Stir in jelly and vinegar. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until syrupy and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and cayenne.
3. Heat broiler (do not raise oven rack). Pour enough water into roasting pan to cover bottom and fit pan with flat roasting rack. Reserve 1/2 cup glaze for serving. Arrange ribs on rack meaty side down and brush with glaze. Place roasting pan back on middle rack in oven and broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip ribs over, brush with more glaze, then broil, brushing ribs with glaze every 2 to 4 minutes, until ribs are deep mahogany color, 9 to 12 minutes (watch broiler carefully). Transfer ribs to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice between bones, transfer ribs to platter, and brush with reserved glaze. Sprinkle with scallions.
Serve.
Make Ahead: The ribs and glaze can be prepared through step 2 up to 2 days in advance. Wrap the ribs tightly in foil and refrigerate. Transfer glaze to microwave-safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, allow ribs to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat glaze in microwave on high power until warm, about 1 minute. Proceed with step 3 as directed.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
March 8: Huevos Rancheros with Spicy Ham
Here's a recipe. It's for huevos rancheros. I would tell you more about it, except that I am exhausted and need to crash for the night. I had this dish last year in San Diego, and like almost everything else I ate there, it was delicious. If I weren't on a ridiculous diet, one where I've cut my calories down to almost half of what I was on before I was on a ridiculous diet, I'd go to my kitchen right now and cook this dish, because I am so hungry I could cry. Ironic, isn't it?
Huevos Rancheros with Spicy Ham
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces smoked ham, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 Scotch bonnet chiles or jalapeños—halved, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
8 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 475°. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the smoked ham and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ham to a plate. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to the skillet along with the garlic, onions, Scotch bonnet chiles and green bell pepper. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ham and season the sofrito with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm them in the oven. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Crack 4 of the eggs into the skillet, season with salt and pepper and fry sunny-side up over moderate heat, until the egg whites are set and the egg yolks are still slightly runny, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs, yolk side up, to a plate and keep them warm by tenting them with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet and fry the remaining eggs.
Set 2 tortillas on each plate. Top with the fried eggs, spoon the sofrito on the side and serve.
Huevos Rancheros with Spicy Ham
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces smoked ham, cut into 2-by-1/4-inch strips
4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 Scotch bonnet chiles or jalapeños—halved, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
8 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 475°. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the smoked ham and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ham to a plate. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to the skillet along with the garlic, onions, Scotch bonnet chiles and green bell pepper. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ham and season the sofrito with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm them in the oven. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Crack 4 of the eggs into the skillet, season with salt and pepper and fry sunny-side up over moderate heat, until the egg whites are set and the egg yolks are still slightly runny, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs, yolk side up, to a plate and keep them warm by tenting them with aluminum foil. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet and fry the remaining eggs.
Set 2 tortillas on each plate. Top with the fried eggs, spoon the sofrito on the side and serve.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
February 17: Chicago Dogs
I've never understood that person that wants nothing but ketchup and mustard on their hot dog. A hot dog, to me, is a perfect blank canvas, the best possible receptacle for almost any kind of savory thing you can think of.
Hot dogs are to Chicago what cheesesteaks are to Philadelphia. Ask a Chicagoan, and they'll probably tell you that there is exactly one way to eat a hot dog. Same thing in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Portland. I've been served something called an "Atlanta dog" smothered in creamy coleslaw. I've also heard of a "Memphis dog" with bacon, barbecue sauce, and grilled onions, and a San Antonio dog with taco meat, salsa, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. I'm not sure I approve, but it's like any regional specialty: everybody's sure that their variation is the best.
As a midwesterner by birth, I am a big fan of a true Chicago dog, and it is really rare to find one outside of Cook County, Illinois. Surprisingly enough, we encountered one today here in Virginia Beach, at a hot dog restaurant where the proprieter is serious enough about authenticity to have the traditional neon-green sweet cucumber relish flown in from Chicago, and I cannot fathom what goes into creating this not-found-in-nature shade of green. It was good enough that I am already thinking about getting another one before leaving town tomorrow.
A Chicago dog is a very specific thing; there is no chili, no cheese, no ketchup involved. It is both science and art. Let me emphasize the following: dill pickle spear, sweet pickle relish. Kosher beef dog, natural casing, steamed or boiled, not grilled or fried.
This is more construction blueprint than recipe; I could make a hot dog at the age of eight without any real trouble. But if you've never had a Chicago dog and you won't be in Chicago any time soon, then it's worth doing. Seek out great hot dogs, poppy-seeded rolls, and the small, pickled hot peppers called sport peppers. They are spicy, but not uncomfortably so. Maybe banana peppers would stand in in a pinch, but the real thing is worth finding.
If you are like us, plan on eating two hot dogs apiece. This will serve two.
Chicago Dogs
4 good-quality, natural casing all-beef hot dogs like Vienna Beef, Nathan's, or Hebrew National
4 poppy seeded hot dog buns
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
2 small tomatoes, sliced into six wedges each
1 large kosher dill pickle, quartered lengthwise
Yellow mustard
12 small whole pickled sport peppers
Celery salt
In a medium skillet over high heat, boil the hot dogs in one cup of water until water has evaporated. Turn off heat.
Assemble dogs as follows:
Bun
Hot dog
Mustard
Onions
Three tomato wedges on one side
One dill pickle wedge on opposite side
Sweet relish over everything
Three peppers on top of relish
Sprinkle of celery salt over top
Serve immediately.
Hot dogs are to Chicago what cheesesteaks are to Philadelphia. Ask a Chicagoan, and they'll probably tell you that there is exactly one way to eat a hot dog. Same thing in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Portland. I've been served something called an "Atlanta dog" smothered in creamy coleslaw. I've also heard of a "Memphis dog" with bacon, barbecue sauce, and grilled onions, and a San Antonio dog with taco meat, salsa, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. I'm not sure I approve, but it's like any regional specialty: everybody's sure that their variation is the best.
As a midwesterner by birth, I am a big fan of a true Chicago dog, and it is really rare to find one outside of Cook County, Illinois. Surprisingly enough, we encountered one today here in Virginia Beach, at a hot dog restaurant where the proprieter is serious enough about authenticity to have the traditional neon-green sweet cucumber relish flown in from Chicago, and I cannot fathom what goes into creating this not-found-in-nature shade of green. It was good enough that I am already thinking about getting another one before leaving town tomorrow.
A Chicago dog is a very specific thing; there is no chili, no cheese, no ketchup involved. It is both science and art. Let me emphasize the following: dill pickle spear, sweet pickle relish. Kosher beef dog, natural casing, steamed or boiled, not grilled or fried.
This is more construction blueprint than recipe; I could make a hot dog at the age of eight without any real trouble. But if you've never had a Chicago dog and you won't be in Chicago any time soon, then it's worth doing. Seek out great hot dogs, poppy-seeded rolls, and the small, pickled hot peppers called sport peppers. They are spicy, but not uncomfortably so. Maybe banana peppers would stand in in a pinch, but the real thing is worth finding.
If you are like us, plan on eating two hot dogs apiece. This will serve two.
Chicago Dogs
4 good-quality, natural casing all-beef hot dogs like Vienna Beef, Nathan's, or Hebrew National
4 poppy seeded hot dog buns
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
2 small tomatoes, sliced into six wedges each
1 large kosher dill pickle, quartered lengthwise
Yellow mustard
12 small whole pickled sport peppers
Celery salt
In a medium skillet over high heat, boil the hot dogs in one cup of water until water has evaporated. Turn off heat.
Assemble dogs as follows:
Bun
Hot dog
Mustard
Onions
Three tomato wedges on one side
One dill pickle wedge on opposite side
Sweet relish over everything
Three peppers on top of relish
Sprinkle of celery salt over top
Serve immediately.
A.W.O.L.
I missed a day. Dan and Max and I are spending the long weekend in Virginia Beach, VA., in an oceanfront suite that really is six steps off the sand, and we're having so much fun and eating so much great food that I have to admit that I missed a day.
We found this weird little dive called Jewish Mother where we had breakfast yesterday. It's a live music venue at night, but the rest of the day, it's a purportedly Jewish deli where, mysteriously, they serve bacon and sausage and ham. Dan had corned beef hash, and after briefly considering a Jewish Mother omelet (fresh avacado and mushrooms), I ordered a hot corned beef sandwich on Russian rye bread with swiss cheese and cole slaw, and a side of fries. Max had a hot dog, as he often will when left to his own devices. It came to the table as two hot dogs on a piece of homemade French bread, which was light and crispy and apparently buttered lightly with a touch of black tar heroin, because I haven't stopped thinking about that bread since yesterday. The hot dogs were amazing, those killer kosher deli ones with the casing that snaps when you bite into them. Yummy. And don't get me started on the pickles.
We ate dinner at a pizza place called Shorebreak that was recommended to me as particularly family-friendly. Tucked between three different military posts, it was jam-packed to the gills with soldiers on a Saturday night and their families. Itresembles a Hooters, based on the waitresses seriously skimpy outfits and the myriad of TVs showing sports around the room. We ordered a thin crust sausage-and-mushroom pizza and despite it not being made from particularly remarkable ingredients--canned mushrooms, for example--it was delicious. Great sauce, great crust, great everything. The game room was overcrowded and there wasn't any chance that we were going to get a shot at playing skee ball, but the noise level wasn't unreasonable and I appreciated the fact that it wasn't a tourist joint; that they didn't seem to be out to soak us for as little bad-tasting food as possible for as much money as they could squeeze out of us. We ran into that situation multiple times in Ocean City, Maryland.
Last night I asked Dan at dinner, "How is it that we keep going on vacation to places I feel like I could live at?" It's really true. It is beautiful here and it seems to be a place where people really live, as opposed to a place where people only visit. I highly recommend Virginia Beach as a vacation destination. If I could get away with not having a job, I would live here happily. Unfortunately, I have a job that I love that will not easily travel from Washington D.C. to Virginia Beach, and I am not yet willing to give up expensive cheese or buying kitchen gadgets at will.
I will return later with two recipes, one for yesterday and one for today. I promise to think of something wonderful, too, as the only cooking we are currently doing is sandwiches in the hotel room.
We found this weird little dive called Jewish Mother where we had breakfast yesterday. It's a live music venue at night, but the rest of the day, it's a purportedly Jewish deli where, mysteriously, they serve bacon and sausage and ham. Dan had corned beef hash, and after briefly considering a Jewish Mother omelet (fresh avacado and mushrooms), I ordered a hot corned beef sandwich on Russian rye bread with swiss cheese and cole slaw, and a side of fries. Max had a hot dog, as he often will when left to his own devices. It came to the table as two hot dogs on a piece of homemade French bread, which was light and crispy and apparently buttered lightly with a touch of black tar heroin, because I haven't stopped thinking about that bread since yesterday. The hot dogs were amazing, those killer kosher deli ones with the casing that snaps when you bite into them. Yummy. And don't get me started on the pickles.
We ate dinner at a pizza place called Shorebreak that was recommended to me as particularly family-friendly. Tucked between three different military posts, it was jam-packed to the gills with soldiers on a Saturday night and their families. Itresembles a Hooters, based on the waitresses seriously skimpy outfits and the myriad of TVs showing sports around the room. We ordered a thin crust sausage-and-mushroom pizza and despite it not being made from particularly remarkable ingredients--canned mushrooms, for example--it was delicious. Great sauce, great crust, great everything. The game room was overcrowded and there wasn't any chance that we were going to get a shot at playing skee ball, but the noise level wasn't unreasonable and I appreciated the fact that it wasn't a tourist joint; that they didn't seem to be out to soak us for as little bad-tasting food as possible for as much money as they could squeeze out of us. We ran into that situation multiple times in Ocean City, Maryland.
Last night I asked Dan at dinner, "How is it that we keep going on vacation to places I feel like I could live at?" It's really true. It is beautiful here and it seems to be a place where people really live, as opposed to a place where people only visit. I highly recommend Virginia Beach as a vacation destination. If I could get away with not having a job, I would live here happily. Unfortunately, I have a job that I love that will not easily travel from Washington D.C. to Virginia Beach, and I am not yet willing to give up expensive cheese or buying kitchen gadgets at will.
I will return later with two recipes, one for yesterday and one for today. I promise to think of something wonderful, too, as the only cooking we are currently doing is sandwiches in the hotel room.
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